Chapter 1: Darkness Rising
It is no longer feasible for us to continue in the research of biological and chemical weapons; the Government is close to finding us out. Thus, the only way we can continue to supply our customers with the best weapons is to create computer and technological weapons, such as the pulse missile, which will kill every engine in a five-mile radius of its detonation. Greater still is the possibility of utilising the Digital World and its Digimon as weapons.
Lucretia Trent.
Vice-President of the Chiron-Trent Corporation.
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DigiProject X.
Restricted Area. Authorised Access Only.
That was what it said on the door that led to Izzy's new room within the CT Tower, HQ of Chiron-Trent. As he sat on the stool, typing away at code, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how his friends were doing. Surely, they weren't suffering as much as he was. He couldn't be sure however, as his computer had no direct access to the internet, so he wasn't able to e-mail his friends. Somewhere within that building, someone was being paid by his Aunt Lucretia to type up phoney e-mails to send to his friends and family, so that no one knew that he was missing.
"So, squirt, what progress have you made?" asked a young-sounding, feminine voice from behind him, one that belonged to his Aunt Lucretia. He turned round to look at her, she had light brown hair that was tied back in a pony tail and a pale face, with ice cold, blue eyes that seemed soulless. She wore a dark green business suit and a black polo sweater underneath it.
"Erm... well Auntie, I've managed to fix one of the previous problems," replied Izzy calmly. "The code doesn't cause the computer to crash anymore." Ms. Lucretia Trent laughed; it was a laugh that sounded deceivingly like that of a nice and kind person. She walked over towards him, and stopped beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder. She then looked him in the eye, her soulless eyes, not even showing the slightest reflection of any light within the room.
"You're deliberately delaying the project, aren't you, Izzy?" asked Lucretia calmly with a kind smile on her face. Before he could reply, she continued. "Well, that won't work, you brat. It just won't work! Your parents still think that I'm taking good care of you, and frankly, they will continue to think that until you finish the project. Until you do, you will never see them again, you hear me? Never! Do you understand?" Izzy nodded in reply. "Good. Good. I'll check up on you again in four hours time. If you make some real progress by then, perhaps I'll get you a treat!" She smiled at him, a smile that reminded him of Sora's smile, before she turned round and walked away.
Lucretia closed the door behind her, before turning round to see Chiron. He was standing right outside the door with a calm expression on his face.
"Well?" asked Chiron.
"He's still not co-operating fully," replied Lucretia. She sighed. "It's hard to think that such a brat could be so vital to our mission."
"Indeed," said Chiron, as the two started to walk down the corridor. "What's even harder to believe is that they managed to destroy Apocalymon. That was Cossack's best Evil Digimon, and they destroyed it." He could almost remember the situation that occured after Apocalymon was destroyed. "You remember what Mallenoir did to Cossack because of his failure?" He turned to see Lucretia shiver, probably at the thought of the memory.
"I do indeed," replied Lucretia. "He was a weak fool anyway. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Still, I hope that we don't end up like him because of these 'Digi-Destined kids'. That would be a terrible shame, for all our hard work to go down the drain. But with that Izzy kid helping us to recreate Cossack's Dark Network and Black Gears, I'm sure that those Digi- Destined can't stop us again." That reminded her of something. "That reminds me, the last two Digi-Destined kids have been kidnapped."
Chiron stopped dead in his tracks, and then looked towards Lucretia with a smile on his face.
"You know what that means, don't you?" exclaimed Chiron. "Promotions are in store for us. Order your men to terminate the kids, and then we shall celebrate our victory."
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He opened his eyes slowly and cautiously. The last thing he remembered was pushing his sister, Kari out of the way, but the men at the door still managed to get them both with some sort of sleeping gas. He lifted his head and looked around him. Tai could feel some sort of fabric against his face, muffling him. He saw Sora, Mimi and Joe. He also saw Kari with them, Matt and TK. They were all, like him, bound up by ropes and gagged, sitting in chairs in what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Light shone through the broken glass windows of the abandoned warehouse, silhouetting the figures of their two captors.
"Ah, Ms. Trent, it's nice to hear from you again," Tai heard one of the captors say. "Yes, they're all here." There was a pause, and Tai began to wonder exactly what they were talking about. "But... but they're only kids!" From the tone in the voice of that captor, he was beginning to get very worried. "Of course, Ms. Trent. We'll do as you ask, but I'm against this. No, ma'am, I'm not questioning your... of course, ma'am. Yes, ma'am."
The sound of the receiver being put back down on its hook suddenly echoed through the abandoned warehouse.
"Well, what did Ms. Trent want us to do with the kids?" asked the other captor nervously.
"Kill 'em," came the cold, hard reply that shocked Tai and the other Digi- Destined. The sound of footsteps approaching them could be heard, making their hair stand on end, as their captors and soon-to-be murderers closed in on them. There was a click, no doubt from a gun. Mimi tried screaming out, but the gag muffled her screams for help. Sora had her eyes closed tightly, as she started to pray for their lives and especially for those of Kari and TK. "What the heck is that?" exclaimed one of the captors, which made Sora open her eyes. She looked up and saw the dimensions of the room swirl into a hole, as if it were a blackhole, warping the very dimensions around them. They were quickly swept off the floor and towards the hole, before there was a blinding flash of light and...
It is no longer feasible for us to continue in the research of biological and chemical weapons; the Government is close to finding us out. Thus, the only way we can continue to supply our customers with the best weapons is to create computer and technological weapons, such as the pulse missile, which will kill every engine in a five-mile radius of its detonation. Greater still is the possibility of utilising the Digital World and its Digimon as weapons.
Lucretia Trent.
Vice-President of the Chiron-Trent Corporation.
Â
DigiProject X.
Restricted Area. Authorised Access Only.
That was what it said on the door that led to Izzy's new room within the CT Tower, HQ of Chiron-Trent. As he sat on the stool, typing away at code, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how his friends were doing. Surely, they weren't suffering as much as he was. He couldn't be sure however, as his computer had no direct access to the internet, so he wasn't able to e-mail his friends. Somewhere within that building, someone was being paid by his Aunt Lucretia to type up phoney e-mails to send to his friends and family, so that no one knew that he was missing.
"So, squirt, what progress have you made?" asked a young-sounding, feminine voice from behind him, one that belonged to his Aunt Lucretia. He turned round to look at her, she had light brown hair that was tied back in a pony tail and a pale face, with ice cold, blue eyes that seemed soulless. She wore a dark green business suit and a black polo sweater underneath it.
"Erm... well Auntie, I've managed to fix one of the previous problems," replied Izzy calmly. "The code doesn't cause the computer to crash anymore." Ms. Lucretia Trent laughed; it was a laugh that sounded deceivingly like that of a nice and kind person. She walked over towards him, and stopped beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder. She then looked him in the eye, her soulless eyes, not even showing the slightest reflection of any light within the room.
"You're deliberately delaying the project, aren't you, Izzy?" asked Lucretia calmly with a kind smile on her face. Before he could reply, she continued. "Well, that won't work, you brat. It just won't work! Your parents still think that I'm taking good care of you, and frankly, they will continue to think that until you finish the project. Until you do, you will never see them again, you hear me? Never! Do you understand?" Izzy nodded in reply. "Good. Good. I'll check up on you again in four hours time. If you make some real progress by then, perhaps I'll get you a treat!" She smiled at him, a smile that reminded him of Sora's smile, before she turned round and walked away.
Lucretia closed the door behind her, before turning round to see Chiron. He was standing right outside the door with a calm expression on his face.
"Well?" asked Chiron.
"He's still not co-operating fully," replied Lucretia. She sighed. "It's hard to think that such a brat could be so vital to our mission."
"Indeed," said Chiron, as the two started to walk down the corridor. "What's even harder to believe is that they managed to destroy Apocalymon. That was Cossack's best Evil Digimon, and they destroyed it." He could almost remember the situation that occured after Apocalymon was destroyed. "You remember what Mallenoir did to Cossack because of his failure?" He turned to see Lucretia shiver, probably at the thought of the memory.
"I do indeed," replied Lucretia. "He was a weak fool anyway. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Still, I hope that we don't end up like him because of these 'Digi-Destined kids'. That would be a terrible shame, for all our hard work to go down the drain. But with that Izzy kid helping us to recreate Cossack's Dark Network and Black Gears, I'm sure that those Digi- Destined can't stop us again." That reminded her of something. "That reminds me, the last two Digi-Destined kids have been kidnapped."
Chiron stopped dead in his tracks, and then looked towards Lucretia with a smile on his face.
"You know what that means, don't you?" exclaimed Chiron. "Promotions are in store for us. Order your men to terminate the kids, and then we shall celebrate our victory."
Â
He opened his eyes slowly and cautiously. The last thing he remembered was pushing his sister, Kari out of the way, but the men at the door still managed to get them both with some sort of sleeping gas. He lifted his head and looked around him. Tai could feel some sort of fabric against his face, muffling him. He saw Sora, Mimi and Joe. He also saw Kari with them, Matt and TK. They were all, like him, bound up by ropes and gagged, sitting in chairs in what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Light shone through the broken glass windows of the abandoned warehouse, silhouetting the figures of their two captors.
"Ah, Ms. Trent, it's nice to hear from you again," Tai heard one of the captors say. "Yes, they're all here." There was a pause, and Tai began to wonder exactly what they were talking about. "But... but they're only kids!" From the tone in the voice of that captor, he was beginning to get very worried. "Of course, Ms. Trent. We'll do as you ask, but I'm against this. No, ma'am, I'm not questioning your... of course, ma'am. Yes, ma'am."
The sound of the receiver being put back down on its hook suddenly echoed through the abandoned warehouse.
"Well, what did Ms. Trent want us to do with the kids?" asked the other captor nervously.
"Kill 'em," came the cold, hard reply that shocked Tai and the other Digi- Destined. The sound of footsteps approaching them could be heard, making their hair stand on end, as their captors and soon-to-be murderers closed in on them. There was a click, no doubt from a gun. Mimi tried screaming out, but the gag muffled her screams for help. Sora had her eyes closed tightly, as she started to pray for their lives and especially for those of Kari and TK. "What the heck is that?" exclaimed one of the captors, which made Sora open her eyes. She looked up and saw the dimensions of the room swirl into a hole, as if it were a blackhole, warping the very dimensions around them. They were quickly swept off the floor and towards the hole, before there was a blinding flash of light and...